Hi Heidi, I love your column, read it every day. Thanks for the great info. My question is regarding the liver... I've been on the O diet for 3 months and now take Deflect and Polyflora. I've had great results but I believe that my liver is still having problems. I constantly have a yellow colour to my skin which fluctuates from dark to lighter, many times after eating I feel tired, and when I eat butter, nuts/seeds or oils I get pimples on my face. I've had blood tests to check my liver and they came back okay. I'm considering doing a liver/gallbladder flush with olive oil but have heard of people having gallstones get stuck and require surgery. I'm wondering what you think of the liver flush or if you have other suggestions. Thanks so much. Amber

Hello, Amber ~ glad you like the column! I had great results from the gallbladder flushes I did, as did several of my friends. Most people I've heard from who have performed several flushes over a period of weeks had no difficulty of any kind and were very satisfied with the results. From the public reports on various health forums, message boards, etc., the only common problem I've seen is that individuals who approached the flush with trepidationa and anxiety seem to have a little more trouble getting the oil & juice down, keeping it down, and going to sleep afterwards.

I am not an expert on gallbladder flushes ~ Julia Chang is. Read her wonderful Conquering Chronic Health Problems Without Drugs or Surgery site thoroughly -- repeatedly, if necessary -- until you feel confident enough to proceed. For anyone who wishes to break up the stones before the flush, she offers Gold Coin Grass which works exactly as advertised. Enjoy your reading, and let me know your experiences if you decide to do it!

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groupA: you recommend to eat snails,but in France,we prepare them with butter.but butter for me is forbiden.does the lectine from snails neutralize from the butter? i am on the diet bood group.I have to go live in the west indies definitively.But the local products are not tested in your book.So it will be difficult for me to follow this blood group over there. Some friends of mine in guadeloupe know your books very well;and would like to follow this way of life (some of them begun already). life is very expensive in guadeloupe,and it will be a big advantage to be able to eat local food.what can you do to help us? . there are a lot of products in the west indies which are also eaten in africa and asia. If we were able to test them it will be useful for a large part of the population. merci marika

Hi, Marika ~~ If you miss your butter, use ghee (clarified butter) instead. All the taste of butter, but none of the "avoid" part ~ great for all types. Peter's BUTYRATE AND GHEE column gives basic instructions on its preparation, and some insight into its health benefits. I like snails with a little garlic-scented olive oil and salt!

Testing new foods requires significant money and professional effort ~ We hope to have more foods tested as time goes on, but I doubt we'll ever get to all of them worldwide. Just use common sense and try to find similar foods to the ones on your Beneficial and Neutral lists ~ but the most important thing is to just do your best, be content with that, and focus on the rest of your life. Hey! Have a beautiful time in Guadeloupe!!

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Hi Heidi, I would like to be able to supplement my B-type diet with some of the B-specific products that you offer. However, looking at the catalogue I find all the products very desirable and interesting but it would cost me a fortune if I tried them all! What would you suggest as a basic starter kit? I am a young, 56 year old female who does a lot of heavy gardening with the resultant aches and pains. I am in very good health, but with chronic insomnia (for which I have taken a sleep therapy workshop) and I am trying to lose about 15 lbs. I would also like to get a basic starter kit for my O-type husband who is also in very good health and is 56 years old and an avid soccer player. He suffers from mild sleep-apnea and snoring! Thanks for any help you can offer. Laurie

Greetings, Laurie! Here's what I suggest for you:

PolyFlora-B

Phytocal-B (if desired)

Methyl12 Plus (first thing in the morning, then go out & get some sun in your eyes!)

Cortiguard with your evening meal.

For your husband, eliminating wheat and dairy should keep the snoring at bay.

PolyFlora-O

PolyVite-O (if desired).

The basic starter kit for both of you, really, is the PolyFlora. I suggest the Methyl12 Plus and the Cortiguard for your sleeping difficulties ~ but you might designe some visualization exercises to be done just before bedtime for now, since type Bs frequently benefit so much from this kind of practice. See what you think, and keep me posted!

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My blood type is A. I just started the diet a few weeks ago. This week I introduced Spelt Bread. I loved it. Although, I am afraid that there is a problem with it. I have felt extremely tired this week, it almost feels like a cold. I have been blowing my nose also. Does this sound like the same symptoms that whole wheat gives due to its mucas forming properties? I have had it every day this week. I have tried the Ezekiel bread before and that gave me terrible heartburn. What bread is the most friendly in the A body that rarely has side effects? Thank you, Robin

Probably 100% sourdough rye, although what you're going through sounds as if it might be a Candida problem rather than a digestive reaction to specific grains. This question is difficult to answer without a 7-day diet sheet and a few tests, but a safe do-it-yourself way to determine what's going on is to eliminate grain and sugar for a week, and see if you feel better or worse. (Fill up on vegetables, both the leafy and the starchy varieties, and take a tablespoon of flax oil each day. And remember that warm lemon-water in the morning!) If you're feeling better at the end of the week, then add one kind of grain, one serving, and monitor your reactions. Take a couple days' break and try another grain, and so on.

If you're tired, cranky and craving sweets after being off them for a week, use the anti-Candida protocol for As in the BTD Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia. Please let me know how this works for you!

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I am a Type B. I am peri-menopausal and therefore was trying to increase my consumption of Soy products: specifically, soy milk. However I see that I am supposed to avoid soy milk on the BTD diet. Do you have any suggestions for a reasonable substitute to help with the peri-menopausal symptoms, or may I continue to consume the soy milk in reduced quantities? Angie

I would suggest instead of soy: flax oil, and maca root, both daily. Put them both in a smoothie with fruit and/or yogurt or other cultured dairy product of your choice ~ Twice daily, if you like. Try this for a week or two, and drop me a note on your progress!

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Dear Heidi, I'm following the blood type diet (O+, I don't know about secretor/non-secretor) I hade some big improvement about digestive troubles, but my doctor says it's my impression and that my problems could be psychological! It's curious ten years ago any doctor would have laugh at you if said this! Now, when they don't know what to say, they say it's all just into your head! It's not easy to find wheat-free food, especially if you work allday and come back home just for dinner. I sometimes indulge in common bread or pizza, because I like them and it's fast to buy them just outside the office. I noticed that when I do so, I have a pain/burn in my low abdomen, very similar to the pain I had one year ago with recurrent cystitis (Escherichia Coli, treated with massive antibiotics) and my mind got a little bit confused! Going back to work it's harder... Recently I had some itching and irritation in the anus zone. Which is the relationship, if existent, between Cystitis (especially after intercourses), Leaky Gut Syndrome and Periodontal Dermatitis? I've tried some Lactobacillus Acidophilus, but I'm not sure it's good for me. I used to be vegetarian and to have Seitan (wheat gluten) for protein, which I stopped. I'm only 30 and I want to behave properly concerning my health! Helly

You're right, Helly ~ it is not in your head! It is in your "other brain," or gut brain (ganglia) where the bread and pizza are setting off your body's signals to stop eating them ~ that's the confusion and dizziness. Get in touch with Stacktheme (email info@stacktheme.com) and get hold of the Encyclopedia and some PolyFlora-O (probiotic) and ARA6. Especially after the big dose of antibiotics (your intestinal creatures have never had a chance to recover) you need the probiotics and ARA6, and a strictly O diet. Use the weekends to prepare food you can eat during the week, and start with a wheat-free diet on Friday night so you'll have a couple of days to adjust. I know how hard it is to do this as an office-worker!! All I can say is, it will only get harder and illness will ensue unless you take control of your health now. You CAN do this, and all the other symptoms you've described will improve as you go along. Take care, dear, and keep in touch!!!

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My Husband and I have only been on the diet 3 days however we are both so tired !!! I have A and my hubby has AB. We feel fine except for the tiredness. Thanks, Georgie

Hello, Georgie ~ Stick with it for two weeks, and you'll be through the transition. Because your foods have changed, your intestinal flora and fauna are readjusting, and this can cause grogginess. Drink plenty of water between meals, get a little extra sleep, and hang in there! You're doing fine!! :-)

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thank you for blessing me with your hopes and your trust, everyone ~ have a beautiful day!

This entry was posted on September 10th, 2002 at 07:51:00 am and is filed under On The Diet.